Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a former chair and senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), issued the following statement on President-elect Donald Trump announcing his intention to nominate Linda McMahon to serve as Secretary of Education.
“Students and families deserve a Secretary of Education who will invest in our students, educators, and schools, follow the law, ensure every student is treated with dignity and respect in the classroom, and protect students from the kinds of predatory practices that put their financial futures at risk—and I will work with any Secretary of Education committed to doing just that. I have serious doubts that Linda McMahon, who has limited experience in education, is the right person for this absolutely critical job. Instead of proposing solutions to improve education, Donald Trump has vowed to try to dangle federal funding over public schools to force them to bend to his will and teach what he sees fit, he’s promised to slash funding for students and families, and even to eliminate the Department of Education in its entirety. Will Linda McMahon, a billionaire Trump campaign co-chair, fight to protect vital federal funding for school districts with low-income students or students with disabilities? Will Ms. McMahon faithfully implement the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and work to make higher education more affordable for working families? And will she forcefully reject calls to abolish—or hollow out—the Department of Education? I believe strongly that we must have a Secretary of Education who will stand up for students and teachers—I will be reviewing Ms. McMahon’s nomination very carefully over the coming weeks.”
A senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, Senator Murray has championed students and families at every stage of her career—fighting to help ensure every child in America can get a high-quality public education. Among other things, Senator Murray negotiated the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), landmark legislation that she got signed into law, replacing the broken No Child Left Behind Act. As a longtime appropriator, she has successfully fought to boost funding to support students and invest in our nation’s K-12 schools, and she has secured significant increases to the Pell Grant so that it goes further for students pursuing a higher education. Senator Murray also successfully negotiated the FAFSA Simplification Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the financial aid application process, simplify the FAFSA form for students and parents, and significantly expand eligibility for federal aid.
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